Sam Smith says the 'Spectre' theme song is 'horrible to sing'

Sam Smith is one of just a lucky handful of musicians to have a James Bond theme song on his resume (and he’s only 23). But even with his dynamic range, Smith seems to be mildly annoyed by having to sing “Writing’s on the Wall.”

The singer appeared on British talk show The Graham Norton Show on Friday along with Spectre stars Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, and Naomie Harris to promote the 24th Bond flick. Before performing the song live for the first time, Smith jokingly revealed that belting the ballad is pain. (Cut to 3:10 above.)

“I’ve only actually sung the song once, really. Because I did the demo in the studio, and they used that. It is horrible to sing. Horrible,” Smith told Norton. “I almost regret — no, I don’t regret,” he jokes. When pushed for why, Smith deadpanned, followed with a smile: “It’s just so high. I have to grab my balls; it’s awful.”

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For all the playful worrying, Smith sang the tune pretty well in front of the live studio audience, coupled with an orchestra. Check out the version of “Writing’s on the Wall” that’ll be in Spectre, which is out Nov. 6, below.